1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a diagnostic ultrasound apparatus and a diagnostic imaging apparatus for medical use designed to prepare image data according to an ultrasonic echo signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Diagnostic ultrasound apparatus for transmitting ultrasonic waves from a plurality of probes, acquiring ultrasonic echo signals and synthesizing a cross-sectional image of living tissue so as to collect many pieces of information more easily than an apparatus using a single probe are known.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-137581 discloses a moving image photographing apparatus for acquiring a cross-sectional image of living tissue that has a plurality of ultrasound probes, anchors for rigidly securing them, an acoustic coupling material, a probe switching section, an image data measuring section, an image data synthesizing section and a moving image displaying section.
Each of the plurality of probes transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives an echo signal from living tissue. The probe switching section sequentially switches the echo signals from the plurality of probes and transmits the signals to the image data measuring section and the image data measuring section prepares cross-sectional images of a living body according to the echo signals from the probes. As the probe switching section sequentially switches the echo signals from the probes, the image data measuring section can prepare cross-sectional images, sequentially using image data obtained from different angles. Additionally, the anchors for rigidly securing the plurality of probes are equipped with respective angle sensors for detecting the relative positions of the probes. Thus, the image data synthesizing section can synthetically combine the cross-sectional images sequentially prepared by the image data measuring section by using the relative position information.
In this way, a cross-sectional synthetic image is obtained by shooting a living body from different angles as in the case of sequentially moving a probe. As a cross-sectional synthetic image is obtained by shooting a living body from different angles, the living tissue from which an echo image can hardly be obtained because it is hidden by bone tissue that reflects ultrasonic waves to a large extent can be imaged to make it easy to grasp the inter-tissue positional relationship and collect pieces of information effective for diagnosis.